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Benecol

K

kay957

Well-Known Member
Messages
177
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Has anyone had good results in lowering their cholesterole? I am no longer taking statins because of having weird effects, I have started taking a small bottle of the yogurt drink each day, if someone has had a good result from taking this drink, how long did it take to work?
 
Hiya Kay

I started using this at Christmas - my chol was 5.7 and my DSN agreed to let me try it - I had to stop after 8 weeks because I had to have some meds (not related to diabetes etc) that I couldn't have dairy with so the last 4 weeks before my follow up test I wasn't using them - my cholesterol went down to 5.1 so maybe they helped - have been on them again for a full 12 weeks and go for my bloods next week so I will see then - I am hoping they are down again even only a little as my DSN said if I get it down to 5 or below then no statins! - I will let you know how I get on - not sure if they work or not but it's worth a try
 
I've been taking the yogurt drink and spread since Christmas - in the first 3 months my bad cholesterol went up ! Am sticking with it though as the Doc thinks another drug may have been to blame.
 
Kay,

I can't see any harm in trying these drinks, but not sure if they can make a significant difference on its own, so its best to incorporate other foods and activities to help reduce your cholesterol. Here is some good advice given out by the cholesterol charity HEART UK:


http://www.heartuk.org.uk/index.php?/healthy_living/

Nigel
 
I take a plant sterol called Lestrin my cholesterol went from 7.9 -4.3 .
CAROL
 
carty said:
I take a plant sterol called Lestrin my cholesterol went from 7.9 -4.3 .
CAROL
Click to expand...

That's brilliant, did you get that from a health shop?
 
Yep but you can get it on the net its not cheap so it pays to shop around.I take 2 a day .I would like to know how much Benecol costs and how much you need to take to get results.
CAROL
 
Hi Carty - it is £3 for 6 bottles and you take 1 bottle a day so 50p a bottle - same as a bottle of drink or a snack so not bad - - it gives you 2g of plant sterol - just so people know if you are on statins you musn't use it.
 
Lestrin is£10 for 1 months supply so it works out a little cheaper .I will be interested if Benecol does work for anyone.Let us know.
 
Can I suggest that you read the Benecol label carefully - there are different types and some are much higher in carb than others. The ones marked Dairy Free are about 1g carb whereas, to the best of my recollection, other types have 8 or 9g.
 
Yes, it does help and my GP agreed with that, my cholesterol has gone down and I am no longer battling with GP on her wanting me take statins. However, check sugar levels and make sure you buy the light variety. As I recall the wild berries is one of the lower in sugar levels, the plain or vanilla is higher! It is expensive, Sainsburys currently selling to packs with £1 savings, I usually make do with 6 a week, but figure the cost is worth it if they work. I also use the Flora Buttery, Pro activ margerine but not their drinks - they are too high in sugar!
 
Rather than buying Benecol, why not try the supermarket own brand cholesterol drinks, it will no doubt be half the price and just as effective!

Nigel
 
I am using an Australian product the same as Benecol because I am abroad. It has made a difference to my cholesterol.

On Simvastatin
Total Cholesterol 2.8
HDL 1.17
LDL 1.3
Chol/HDL ratio 2.4
Triglycerides 0.8

Off Simvastatin
Total C 5.0
HDL 1.25
LDL 3.26
Chol/HDL Ratio 4.0
Triglycerides 1.06

On Benecol equivalent
Total C 4.5
HDL 1.4
LDL 2.6
Chol/HDL Ratio 3.2
Triglycerides 0.7

All of these results were in the normal range for the lab doing the testing except for when I stopped using statins and LDL went up to 3.26. However it has now come down to 2.6.
I decided to stop taking Simvastatin after reading about all the side effects and negative comments about it and if my cholesterol stays as it is I wont be going back on it (despite what my Doctor may suggest)
 
An update for those following this thread - I have just phoned up for my cholesterol results - they are down from 5.1 to 4.6 so I am very happy with that - in 6 months they have gone from 5.7 to 4.6 and I drink 1 benacol a day - this is the only thing I have done different so I think they may have worked! - no statins for me
 

Thats great news lovinglife!

So was this just by drinking your benacol daily or did you also make other dietary changes like reducing saturated fat in your diet?

Nigel
 
Thanks Nigel - no I didn't alter my diet - I was already low fat and doing everything I could via diet eg) foods that help lower cholesterol (allegedly :wink: )so the benacol was the last resort before statins so I can only conclude that it has been the drinks
 
Out of curiosity, what evidence is there to the relative safety of Benicol and tablet form of statins. Since they both contain statins, should we expect similar side effects? I'm not trying to dis Benecol, but just because it's a yogurt based drink does not necessarily make it any safer than tablets.
 
I didnt think they were the same. Products like Benecol contain plant stanols and statins are synthetic drugs. Plant stanols act in the gut. Statins act in the liver.


 
I must be the odd one out here
I drank a bottle a day for 6 months and my cholestrol level was no different at all, sorry folks but i was very disappointed with Gloria Hunnifords tv advert claims for the Flora drinks.... never again! so afraid i take simvistatin and my cholestrol has halved, i'm happy with that. goes to show our bodies are all different. good luck with those that do drink their daily bottle.
 
A total cholesterol of 4.2 isn't high. The ratio is what matters, if you still believe cholesterol is important at all. After Reading Malcolm Kendrick I'm not so sure.
Hana
 
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